Indicator for saw-mills



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.)

J. I. HATFIELD.

INDICATOR FOR SAW MILLS.

Patented May 5,1891.

IAN/141N107? J 1% .wiflnrmg' (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. I. HATFIELD.

INDICATOR FOR SAW MILLS.

No. 451,860. Patented May 5,1891.

j W W I I M W W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES I. HATFIELD, OF COMMISSIONER, GEORGIA.

INDICATOR FOR SAW-MILLS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 451,860, dated May 5, 1891.

Application filed December 16, 1890. Serial No. 374,941. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES I. HATFIELD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oommissioner, in the county of lVilkinson and State of Georgia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Indicators for Saw-Mills; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to indicators for sawmills, and has for its object the provision of a simply constructed and effective indicating device having a series of keys to be manipulated by the sawyer, and which operate a corresponding series of properly-marked indicator-plates to raise or otherwise exhibit one or more of them at a time to indicate to the head-block setter how much to set the head-blocks and the resultant cut or width of timber which the saw will sever.

Heretofore it'has been usual to call the required set, which amid the noise of the machinery is difficult to hear and is often misunderstood, or to indicate it by motions of the fingers, which is not reliable and open to the possibility of frequent mistake by the sawyer and misunderstanding by the headblock setter, and, in case of an inexperienced hand having the setting of the head-blocks in charge is very liable to result in mistakes and blunders; and when a mistake of this sort is made it is never discovered until the cut of the saw is made, and often not until the whole stick is sawed, thus resulting in the loss of much lumber; but with an indicator such as is hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings no mistake can be made by reason of insufficient or indistinct directions, as the plain and exact figures are marked both upon the keys and upon the indicator-plates, and no mistakes can arise except from the carelessness or indifference of either the sawyer or head-block setter, or both, and this is not liable to occur.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts, hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

The accompanyi-n g drawings illustrate what I consider the best means for carrying my invention into practice.

Figure 1 is a transverse section of the device, taken about on the line 00 a: of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device with the keylevers cut off and a part of the lever-locking griddle or platebroken away and the indicator-plates and their hood or roof removed. Fig. 3 is a plan view, with the top removed over the greater area and some of the arms broken away to show the spring which gives tension to the lever-locking griddle. Fig. 4 is a section of one end of the indicator, taken on the line y y of Fig. l and looking in the direction of the arrow. Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of a port-ion of the case, bar, and arm or lever for operating it.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures where they occur.

A is a case or housing of suitable shape, as will be presently described.

B is a front grating or plate, having vertical slots 1) in it, which is mounted in front of the housing, and may rest against the upward and downward projecting flanges or lips C O, the lower one C ofwhich serves also as a stop for the downward movement of the levers, as will presently be explained; but this function of the flange C may be accomplished by having the slots Z) terminate at a suitable height, as will be readily seen.

D is another slotted plate or grating, which for distinction I denominate the lever-locking griddle, and which is preferably mounted in front of the grating B upon the carriers or rollers C 0 suitably journaled in the walls of the housing as, for instance, by having an angle plate or strap 0* secured under the housing and extending out and to a proper height up the front to afford one bearing for the roller-journals, while the other is found in the front of the housing, as seen in Fig. 1. The top of the griddle D is held under the overhanging flange O"*, or in any other suitable manner. The slots d of the griddle are flared from the base upward on one or both sides to give an inclined edge for the levers to press against. At a suitable point in the height of each slot one edge is provided with a notch or recess d, which has an inclined side and horizontal top, as seen, to receive and hold the lever when pressed down. The griddle D has liberty for a slight longitudinal movement in its ways, and is provided with a spring D to cause it to normally press with the notched edge of its slots against the levers. This spring is preferably a strap or bow-sprin g having one end bolted to the flange O and its other end projected through a suitable slot (1* in said flange and in the edge of the grating and attached to the griddle. The length of the slot cZ* limits the play of the spring and the movement of the griddle and prevents too great a strain upon the arms or levers that project through the griddle. This spring is of proper tension to be readily overcome by pressure upon the keys or by suitable force applied to a knob (Z** upon it.

E is a key mounted on one end of a lever or arm F, fulerumed upon the rod G, and I is avertically-sliding bar, carrying an indicatorplate J, and held in suitable guides j arranged upon the rear wall A of the housing. A number of such parts are arranged in a series, as shown in Fig. 3, all alike except as to the marking upon the keys and indicator-plates. The arms or levers F project through the slots Z) and cl, and the keys E are mounted upon them in any convenient manner-as, for instance, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The fulcrumrod G is set longitudinally and suitably supported at a proper height and somewhat in front of the midwidth of the housing. The arms F are fulcrumed upon this rod in any convenient manner. At the rear of the box a series of upper and lower guides j are provided, injwhich the vertically-movable bars I are held. The levers F engage these bars between the guides in any suitable manneras, for instance, by a slot f, as shown in Fig. 5. The bars I project through the top of the housing and carry the indicator-plates J, the marking on a plate operated by any lever corresponding to the marking upon the key operating said lever. The indicator-plates are arranged to overlap each other, as shown, so that a greater number of the required size, to show large and conspicuous marking, may be accommodated in a given space. Both sides of the plate may be marked, if desired. The plates may have a protecting roof or case A provided with a suitable view-opening A" through which the plates can be read.

The operation of the device is plain. Depressing a key the lever F, to which it is connected, raises the corresponding bar I and elevates its attached plate J. The depression of the forward end of the lever, operating against the sloping edge of the griddle-slot cl, overcomes the force of the spring D and presses the griddle aside until the notch or recess (1 is reached, when the downward movement of the lever will be arrested by the stopfiange C or in any other manner, as above mentioned, and the tension of the spring D will draw the notch of the griddle over the lever and lock it. The indicator-plate subject to this particular key and lever is thereby exhibited.

If it is desired to exhibit more than one plate at a time, as in making compound numbers, both or all the desired keys must be depressed at once. When one or more keys are thus depressed and their levers locked in the notches, it is evident that the depression of another key will release the locked levers and the preponderating weight at their rear ends (the overbalanced levers, rods I, and superposed plates J) will cause the hitherto locked levers to resume theirnormal positions and drop the indicator-plates.

The movements of the lever-holding griddle are facilitated by the rollers upon which it is carried.

hen it is desired to drop any raised indicator plate or plates without raising others, the knob or projection (1 is pushed in the proper direction to move the griddle and release the levers, as willbe readily understood.

It will be seen that the structure of the several parts is strong and simple and well adapted for use in exposed positions, such as sawmills. Sawdust will not impede the action of the parts, unless too much of it gets into the device, and this is provided against by the root or case over the indicator-plates.

The indicator-plates are made of metal, and all the other parts are strong and durable.

It is obvious that changes can be made in the construction of many of the parts without transgressing the limits of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. In an indicator for sawmills, the combination, with a spring-actuated griddle or plate having vertical slots,notched as described, and indicator-operating levers working through said slots for engagement with the notches therein, as set forth. 2. The combination, with a stationary grating and a spring-actuated griddle or plate having vertical slots, notched as described,of fulcrumed indicator-operating levers extending through the slots in both grating and griddle for engagement with the notches in the griddle, as set forth.

3. The combination of a stationar grating and a spring-actuated griddle or plate having sloping slots and notches therein mounted over said grating, with fulcrumed indicatoroperating levers projecting through said grating and griddle for engagement with the notches in the griddle, as set forth. 4. The combination, with a stationary grating, a movable spring-actuated plate or griddle having vertical slots, notched as described, and rollers on which said griddle is mounted, of levers for operating indicator-plates, projecting through the slots in the grating and griddle for engagement with the notches in the griddle, as set forth.

5. The combination of a longitudinally-mov- ITO able plate or griddle having beveled slots, notched as set forth, a spring for operating said plate, a stationary grating held in suitable relation thereto, indicator-operating 1evers projecting through the slots in both the griddle and grating for engagement with the notches in the griddle, and a stop lying under the notches for limiting the downward movement of said levers, as set forth.

6. The combination, with a series of indicator-operating levers, of a movable griddle or plate for locking them, a spring for actuating the griddle or plate, and a slotted plate through which the spring passes to limit the movement of the griddle or plate, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

JAMES I. HATFIELD.

\Vitnesses:

I. N. KALB, JAMES H. GRIDLEY. 

